Slab Bacon and Mushroom Strata

I was looking for a brunch recipe the other day that was not sweet. Something that was savory and a little bit out of the ordinary. I came across this in the cookbook, "Pig- King of the Southern Table". It calls for slab bacon, which peameal fits nicely. It's much more lean than other slab bacons, so the recipe called for a little adjustment as there's no drippings, even after frying a pound of it. Also, because this is a strata, you'll need to make it the night before you're going to serve it, or at least two hours ahead, so the egg mixture has time to soak into the bread.

As the author notes, you can use a variety of mushrooms (ummm...what about picking your own morels in season...) and a variey of cheeses (I would have used some nice aged Canadian cheddar if someone else would part with it...). Use your imagination with this versatile dish.

Slab Bacon and Mushroom Strata

4-5 slices of white bread, crusts trimmed
1 pound peameal, diced
2 t. butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
2 c. half and half
3 large eggs, beaten
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Tobasco sauce to taste

Grease a 2-2 1/2 quart casserole. Arrange the slices of bread on the bottom of the casserole dish, and set aside.

In a large skillet, fry the peameal. Set it aside. Add 2 t. butter to skillet and saute the mushrooms and onions until golden, about 8 minutes. Return the bacon to the skillet, add the mustard to the bacon, mushrooms and onions and stir well.

Spoon the bacon mixture evenly over the bread and sprinkle the cheese on top.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, Worcestershire, seasonings and Tobasco. Whisk until well blended. Pour over the cheese and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees and bake for 45- 50 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!


See you next month. Comments are always welcome at Gord's.

Gordette